1. Field of Invention
Oil spill disasters have occurred worldwide, with lesser spills taking place almost daily in the waterways of the world. My invention's primary aim is to reduce the amount of fluids entering the water in the first place, rather than in trying to mop up the oil after it has entered the water.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Tanks containing liquids are used everywhere: on the sea on tankers, barges, ships; on land on rail, tank trucks, in fixed positions. A large percentage of these have no means of stopping any leakage of the fluids when the tank is punctured.
Oil leaks such as that of the Exxon Valdez foul untold miles of shoreline, kill marine life, birds, wild fowl, and prevent man from enjoying the natural beauty and bounties of the affected area.
Once oil starts to leak, no means of stopping the leak has been available so millions of barrels of oil spread far and wide. All the known means of containment and cleanup must have been used, and yet, after those huge efforts, men were shown wiping sticky stuff from stone by stone. It therefore appears obvious that every barrel of oil that is kept from entering the water benefits mankind.
Most of the present art consists of using floating booms to restrict the spread of oil and means to collect and absorb the oil. Storms can and do frustrate man's feeble attempts at containment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,426 covers a boom resting on the sea bed and is activated to float to the surface when the need arises. Its usefulness is limited to the tiny spot where it has been installed. How effectively it can handle any spill depends on the weather conditions prevailing at the time of the spill.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,029 shows a flexible buoyant boom and containment stored in a housing built all around a tanker-ship or offshore derrick. The boom can be activated in a short time. This expensive equipment can only serve the ships and derricks around which it has been built.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,363 covers an inflatable boom with a plurality of storage tanks to recover the spilt oil. The last two words "spilt oil" are what my invention is designed to reduce. The inflatable boom and all the many parts needed by this patent cited may not be assembled soon enough for distant spills, so its use may be limited.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,623 shows a double bladder fluid containment system built into a tank, with means to monitor leakage. It is effective only on the tanker so outfitted.